Time-burning railway signal-fusee.



LOUIS S. ROSS, OF NEWTONVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

TIME-BURNING RAILWAY SIG-NAL-FUSEE.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS S. Ross, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newtonville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Time-Burning Railway Signal-Fusees, of which the following description is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in time burning, railway signal fusees, the primary object thereof being to produce a fusee for such purpose that has the capacity of emitting periodically a sudden surge or flare of light, cap-able of penetrating through dense fog to a greater distance than the normally burning fusee; that will not spontaneously ignite under conditions to which it is necessarily subjected, that will not be extinguished when thrown from a movin g'"train or otherwise subjected to severe shock, and that insures continuity of the flame after lighting.

In certain prior patents granted to me, I have described time burning, railway signal fusees which overcame well recognized characteristics in earlier types of railway fusees long extremely susceptible to spontaneous ignition particularly in the presence of-heat and moisture.

Railways of the United States for a number of years past have maintaineda bureau for the safetransportation of explosives and other dangerous articles. This bureau employs chemists to investigate questions relating to the manufacture of explosives and other dangerous articles and from time to time makes regulations and issues specifications prescribing the inherent characteristics of time burning, railway signal fusees. These regulations must be passed upon and approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission to render them legally'binding and effective. In accordance with the requirements of the said bureau, railway signal fusees comprise a-paper tube of heavy, tough fiber in which the composition is packed, carrying at one end a spike adapted to penetrate the railway ties or bed and having at its opposite end means for lgn ting the fusee. Railway signal fusees are usually thrown from the rear of a moving train and are necessarily therefore subjected to rough usage. It is therefore necessary to have the paper tube of suflicient strength to withstand this usage without Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

Application filed March 6, 1915. Serial No. 12,624.

breakage. These fusee paper tubes are therefore made of heavy, tough fiber, as stated, and the railroads recognize that the finished fusee'must stand a specified, relat1velyheavy weight at its center when supported at its ends. One of the tests of the sald bureau is that the fusee, after burning a number of'seconds in air, must burn a specified time when completely submerged in water. It is further required by the said bureau that the fusee must burn a predetermined specified length of time. It must burn with brilliancy and force of flame, and 1t must burn under favorable and unfavorable weather conditions. In other words, the railway signal fusee must burn in strong winds or storms, or even in pools of water or snowbanks.

By reason of the necessity of burning the tube in uniformity with the burning of the composition and also of the necessity that the composition burn with force and brilliancy, all successful compositions for railway signal fusees have contained sulfur together with a perchlorate, preferably perchlorate of potassium. The perchlorate,

preferably perchlorate of potassium, was,

substituted for chlorate of potassium, be.- cause the presence of the latter rendered the fusee subject to spontaneous ignition and combustion in the presence of heat and moisture. The said fusee has combined therewith some suitable carbonaceous material and a color-giving ingredient, which is preferably a metallic salt.

In accordance with my invention, I preferably employ sulfur, a perchlorate (p-referably perchlorate of potassium), carbonaceous material, which may be a carbohydrate, and a metallic salt, said ingredients being combined in suitable proportions, such, for example,as those set forth in my said patents. The carbonaceous material, carbohydrate or hydrocarbon, is employed to furnish carbon and hydrogen, to aid com 'bustion and to smooth and deepen the flame.

The carbonaceous material preferably employed by me consls'ts of rosin or red gum,

.charcoal and sawdust and grease in sultable proportions. The metallic salt employed is preferably a nitrate or' oxid, and is varied according to the color with which the fusee is intended to burn. Preferably the fusee is so constructed as to burn with either a red, a green or a yellow flame, and

therefore, as set forth in my said patents, I preferably employ strontium, barium or sodium as the base or main color ingredient. In addition to the ingredients named, Imay add any other suitable ingredients, such, for example, as a small quantit of antimony.

WhileI have articularl y described the characteristics 0 a so-called perchlorate fusee, I desire it to be understood that my invention is not limited to use-therein, a though peculiarly adapted thereto.

Time burning, railway signal fusees as heretofore constructed, so far as I am aware, burn with a substantially steady light which is eithera red, a green or a yellow light, and which penetrate through fog or darkness to a substantial extent. Such a fusee is, however, not wholly satisfactory for use in dense fogs, and it is an important object of m invention to adapt a time burning, rail way signal fusee, preferably though not necessarily of the perchlorate type, for use at such time. Therefore, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention, I construct the time burning, railway signal fusee so that it will burn preferably at spaced periods with a more or less sudden flare or surgeof light that will penetrate momentarily to a considerably greater distance than the normally burning fusee. This result I preferably accomplish by providing a time burning, railway signal fusee with spaced sections containing some suitable material which will cause sudden flares or surges for the purpose stated. I have accomplished excellent results by the employment of magnesium or aluminum with a metallic salt and a perchlorate, preferablyperchlorate of potassium. These ingredients are combined in suitable proportions, and I have found that the greater the proportion of magnesium or aluminum, the greater the brilliancy and the quicker the flash or sudden flare which is characteristic of a time burning, railwa signal fusee constructed in accordance wi my invention. For example, I may provide sections of the fusee one inch in length and adapted to burn for one minute, such sections being composed of a metallic salt, carbonaceous material, sulfur and perchlorate,

and therefore burning in the customary manner. Interspersed among or between certain of said sections I, in accordance with my invention, provide preferably ver thin sections so constructed as to burn wit a sudden. flare, surge or flash. I am not restricted to the use of the ingredients named for this purpose, inasmuch as others could be em loyed. The length and character both 0 the normall burning sections and of the flash or flare-burning sections may be varied within the sec 'of my invention. By reason of the act that the short or thin sections burning with a surge,

flash or flare contain a metallic salt, said sections burn with color characteristic of the fusee, which is preferably red, green or yellow dependent upon the color base, as in the longer regularly burning sections of the fusee.

' A time burning, railway signal fusee constructed in accordance with my invention possesses-all the advantages of the normally burning fusee, and particularly of the socalled perchlorate fusee and possesses also the further advantage that it is useful in the most dense fogs. Moreover, the employment of said sections causing the production of a sudden flash or flare is of marked importance in that the chimney produced in the burning of a fusee is thereby thrown off wholly or partially, and thus.

when the normal burning of the fusee is resumed, it burns with a more penetrating light.

The fusee case may be constructed in any suitable manner and is preferably provided with a handle or spike at one end and with any suitable igniting means at the other end.

It will be evident from the foregoing description that a time burning, railway signal fusee constructed in accordance with my invention is suitable for use under all conditions and that it is peculiarly useful upon occasions of extreme fog or darkness. Moreover a fusee constructed in accordance with my invention may be employed as an identifying signal by so varying or arrang- 1 ing the sections which produce the sudden flash or flare as to cause said flashes or flares to occur with characteristic regularity or irregularity. For example, said sections may be so arranged as to burn after regular intervals, or two or more may be so arranged as to burn with but a short time interval between them. In this manner fusees may be provided that are characteristic of certain railroads or localities. Such a fusee is provided with one or more sections burning at a normal rate and in a normal manner and is provided with one or more other sections burning with'a sudden flash, flare or surge in a manner characteristic of my invention.

Having thus described one embodiment of my invention and the best mode known to me for carryingthe same into effect, I desire it to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in A a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims:

1, A time burning, railway signal fusee I containing sulfur, a perchlorate,-metallic1 as to burn at a normal rate and also containsudden flash or flare.

7 isa-ass and a plurality of interspersed sections burning with aosudden flare or flash and with a color characteristic of the fusee.

. 2. A time burning, railway signal fusee containing sulfur and a perchlorate and a coloring ingredient so combined as to burn at a normal rate and also containing a plurality of separate sections having perchlorate, a coloring ingredient and a flash-producing ingredient whereby portions of the fusee will burn in part at a'normal rate and in part with a sudden flashor flare.

3. A time burning, railway signal fusee containingsulfur,- a perchlorate and: metallic salt so combined as to burn at a normal rate' and also containing a plurality of separate sections having perchlorate and metallic salt, and a flash-producing ingredient whereby portions of the fusee will burn in part at a normal rate and in part asudden flash or flare... v

4., A time burning, railway signal fusee salt and carbonaceous material, so combined ing a plurality of separate sections perchlorate, metallic salt and carbonaceous material, and a flash-producing ingredient wherebynportions of the? fusee will burn in part at a normal rate and in part with a -5..A time burning, railway m containing'sulfur, perchlorate, carbonaceous material and metallic salt so combined as V to burn at a normal rate and having a plurality of sections contammg magnesium,

salt and perchlorate socombined as to burn with a sudden flash or'flare.

7. A time burning, railway signal fusee containing sulfur, a perchlorate, metallic salt and carbonaceous material, so combined as to burnat a. normal rate and also containing a pluralityrof separate sections having perchlorate, metallic salt and carbonaceous material, and a flash-producing ingredient including magnesium, whereby portions of the 'fuseewillburninpartatanormalratean in part with a'sudden flash or flare.

. -8. A time burning, railway signal fusee containing sulfur, a perchlorate, metallic salt and carbonaceous ma so combined as to burn at a normal rate and also containing a plurality of separate sections having perchlorate, metallic salt and carbonaceous material, and a flash-producing ingredient-=- including aluminum, whereby portions of thefusee will burn in part at a normal rate and in part with a sudden flash or flare.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification,- in the presence of two subscribingwitnesscs.

' LOUIS S. ROSS. 

